Out of the Darkness to Find the Light
by writermarie
Summary: Abbey returns from a trip a "different woman"


Title: "Out of Darkness to find the Light."  
  
Author: Marie E. Rossiter (writermarie2002@yahoo.com)  
  
Spoilers: Vague through Season 3  
  
Pairing: Jed/Abbey  
  
Rating: R (hard, but R all the same)  
  
Notes: Answer to May/June Challenge on JedAbbeyFanatics  
  
Summary: Abbey looks for the light inside, and finds (and  
  
gives) a few surprises along the way!  
  
The men in the dark colored suits scanned the area from behind their  
  
sunglasses. Appearing to be the epitome of cool and casual, they  
  
were, however, anything but that. The man on the right glanced at  
  
his watch.  
  
"What time is it?" asked his partner.  
  
"Five minutes later than the last time you asked me," came  
  
the curt reply.  
  
"Don't get snappy with me, Jim. You've been checking that  
  
watch just about as often as I ask you."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Their expert eyes moved quickly back and forth over the crowd  
  
gathered at the airstrip. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary or  
  
suspicious.  
  
The only thing that was not right: The First Lady wasn't  
  
here, yet. And, Abigail Bartlet was known for her promptness-even to  
  
the point where if she were kept waiting, people would know that they  
  
hadn't made the best decision. Her reaction wasn't obvious or over  
  
the top: a coolness came over her eyes, an eyebrow would raise and  
  
her jaw would tighten ever so slightly. Those who knew her best  
  
realized the frustration boiling beneath, but that Abbey would never  
  
go over the top when it came to work.  
  
Those that knew Abbey best also knew that there was a lot for  
  
her to be frustrated about lately. The life of a public servant is  
  
difficult enough, but the turn of events of the past few months would  
  
bring just about anyone to their wit's end. The President's health  
  
and ensuing scandal was bad in and of itself-but the loss of her  
  
medical license took the biggest toll. To the untrained eye, there  
  
wouldn't appear to be any difference in her whatsoever. But, a few  
  
more gray hairs had cropped up, a few insignificant lines etched  
  
themselves across her forehead.  
  
What was most noticeable, though, was the light in Abigail  
  
Bartlet's eyes. It wasn't completely gone-just dimmed.  
  
The two men, who hid behind their dark glasses and training  
  
could see it, although they were sure that Abbey didn't want anyone  
  
to take notice.  
  
"If there were a problem, we would have heard from her  
  
agent," Jim stated.  
  
"I suppose. Where was her last appointment, anyway?"  
  
"She had a meeting with the Daughters of the American  
  
Revolution scheduled at 1 p.m. But, that was cancelled. I don't  
  
know what she decided to do instead."  
  
"Ok, so it's now 3:30. She should have been here by now."  
  
"I know that, Bob!" Jim exclaimed.  
  
The crowd noise then started to rise a bit. The two agents  
  
looked just beyond them and saw the black limousine streak across the  
  
runway.  
  
As the door was opened, the rain began. A red umbrella  
  
popped open before the sign of anyone exiting the vehicle. Suddenly,  
  
with detail in closely in two, the First Lady made a hasty approach  
  
to the waiting aircraft. All they could see was the bright contrast  
  
of the color of the umbrella against the darkening sky, and that she  
  
was wearing a hat and long overcoat. She was always prepared for any  
  
type of weather.  
  
"Good afternoon, Ma'am," both men said, the rain beating down  
  
on them.  
  
She nodded and boarded the plane. Jim and Bob quickly  
  
followed her up the stairs and into the plane.  
  
The plane was a little chilly, as the air conditioning system  
  
had been cranked up earlier to alleviate the normal stuffiness in the  
  
cabin. However, with the sudden cloudburst, the air felt nippy  
  
against their damp skin.  
  
The door was shut promptly and the agents made a few last  
  
minute checks.  
  
"Ma'am, are you ready?" Bob asked. It wasn't a question of  
  
necessity, really. More of a courtesy.  
  
Her back was still turned to them, as she folded up her  
  
umbrella, shook it out a little to get rid of the excess rainwater on  
  
it. She then deposited her carry on bag in the compartment above  
  
her. She slid off her water-splashed overcoat and set it down and  
  
removed her hat.  
  
That's when they noticed..  
  
Bob and Jim swallowed hard, but silently. The woman in front  
  
of them looked familiar, but she certainly did not look like Abigail  
  
Bartlet.  
  
"Mrs. Bartlet, ma'am?" Jim stammered.  
  
Bob looked at him, then back at the First Lady. Yes, it was  
  
her.wasn't it? But she had---transformed. Bob looked back at Jim,  
  
hoping that someone would say something and soon.  
  
"What the matter with you?" she asked with a killer grin. Part Two "What's the matter with you?" she asked with a killer grin.  
  
Once again, the question was more rhetorical than anything.  
  
She knew the answer to the question. Awkward silence filled the  
  
room. It's not that both men had nothing to say, it was simply the  
  
fact that what they wanted to say could easily get them fired.  
  
Bob cleared his throat. "Nothing, Ma'am. We'll be on our  
  
way," he quickly replied and disappeared toward the front of the  
  
plane. His partner followed immediately behind him.  
  
Abbey looked around at the people on board the plane with  
  
her. She knew she would get a reaction, but she did not anticipate  
  
the shock that washed over their faces. Still, it had been a long  
  
time since she had caused such a commotion when she entered the  
  
room. Smiling smugly to herself, she picked up her magazine, sat  
  
deliberately down in her seat, crossed her shapely legs at the ankles  
  
beneath her seat and relaxed.  
  
Take off was smooth and uneventful.  
  
In the front of the plane, though, all was not as serene. A low buzz  
  
of conversation filled the airplane.  
  
"Damn, I knew she was.you know.but."  
  
"What do you think caused this?"  
  
"What is the President going to say?"  
  
The only two people not participating in this conversation  
  
were Jim and Bob. True to form, they were silent and observant.  
  
After a little while, Jim stood up to stretch his legs. When he  
  
didn't return right away, Bob rose to go find him.  
  
In the middle section of the plane, Bob found Jim peering  
  
through the curtained area that divided the middle section from the  
  
rear, where the First Lady usually remained during flights.  
  
"What are you doing?" Bob asked.  
  
Jim spun around, obviously startled. "Jeez! Sneak up on a  
  
guy!"  
  
"Some agent you are." Bob teased. "If I can sneak up on you,  
  
how secure should our employer feel?"  
  
"Be quiet, would you?"  
  
Bob studied his partner for a moment. "Jim."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you..spying on the First Lady?"  
  
Jim cleared his throat. "Spying? No? I'm not a spy; I'm a  
  
Secret Service agent."  
  
Bob contained a grin. "That's right. Funny thing is, last  
  
time I checked, our training did not include being a Peeping Tom."  
  
Jim's back straightened up. "What? I am not.I was just  
  
checking to make sure she was ok."  
  
Bob walked up next to Jim and peered through the curtain,  
  
also.  
  
Bob chuckled, low in his throat, so as to not be  
  
heard. "Although, I have to say, I can't blame you for it."  
  
Jim glanced sideways at the other agent and could no longer  
  
contain a smile. "Yeah."  
  
The two continued to stare through the curtain, unnoticed.  
  
"Do you think he knows?" Bob asked.  
  
"The President?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I doubt it. I don't think anyone knew about this."  
  
"Damn." Bob sighed, as he watched the First Lady  
  
unconsciously rubbed her leg as she read.  
  
"Bob.."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Get your mind out of the gutter, man."  
  
Bob smiled. "Oh, like you never thought of that."  
  
"Me? Never," Jim replied innocently.  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
Jim was now smiling, as well. "She must be incredible," he  
  
commented.  
  
"Incredible?"  
  
"Yeah. You know.."  
  
Bob looked blankly at Jim, whose smile had now turned to a  
  
grin.  
  
At the realization of his meaning, Bob's eyes grew  
  
wide. "Damn, Jim! And you talk about my mind being the gutter," he  
  
whispered hoarsely.  
  
"Oh, come on, Bob. Every guy on her detail has wondered what  
  
she'd be like in bed. My guess? She gives our boss a lot to smile  
  
about."  
  
"Jim, stop!"  
  
"Look at her..even before this.she's quite a woman. A lot to  
  
handle. All that passion can't simply be for her work and for  
  
bickering with the President. It's gotta have another outlet."  
  
The color in Bob's cheeks slowly changed from pale to a light  
  
pink.  
  
"Want to know what else I think?" Jim continued.  
  
"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway," was Bob's weak  
  
reply.  
  
"President Bartlet may be the most powerful man in the  
  
world..but I think the First Lady is in charge in the bedroom. She  
  
calls the shots. She gives the orders. And our boss probably enjoys  
  
every bit of it."  
  
Bob now coughed out loud now, the image too much to handle.  
  
"Who's there?" the First Lady called out.  
  
"See what you did?!" Jim whispered to his cohort.  
  
"Me? You were the one."  
  
The argument immediately ceased upon the abrupt opening of  
  
the dividing curtain. Standing there was the First Lady.  
  
"Mrs. Bartlet, ma'am," Jim said in a professional  
  
tone. "Sorry to disturb you."  
  
"What are the two of you doing out here?" she asked.  
  
"Just peeking in.I mean.checking in on you, ma'am," Bob  
  
answered.  
  
Abbey glanced over the two men. She knew perfectly well that  
  
they were, indeed, peeking in on her. She even gave them a bit of a  
  
show by caressing her leg. While Secret Service agents were usually  
  
quite discreet, they had given themselves away quite easily. She,  
  
too, was quite perceptive, after all.  
  
"Well, gentlemen, would you care to come in for a while?" she  
  
asked suggestively. Yeah, toy with them a little, Abbey, she thought  
  
to herself.  
  
Bob cleared his throat. "No, ma'am. I believe we'll be  
  
landing soon, and we need to get ready for your departure to the  
  
White House."  
  
"Oh, of course. Thank you for your concern, gentlemen. I  
  
appreciate being looked after so carefully," she said slowly and with  
  
a soft smile.  
  
The two men tried not to glance at each other and retain  
  
their usual stance.  
  
"See you shortly, then," she concluded and headed back for  
  
her seat, making the deliberate gesture of bending over and picking  
  
up the magazine, which she had conveniently left on the floor.  
  
"Let's go," Jim said under his breath to Bob and they made a  
  
hasty retreat.  
  
They resumed their seats in silence and a short time later  
  
the plane made a perfectly smooth landing.  
  
The entourage left the airplane and the agents escorted the  
  
First Lady to the waiting limousine. Once she was seated, they  
  
followed her into the back seat. The three of them said nothing as  
  
the car sped back to the White House.  
  
The silence was broken with the shrill ring of Jim's cell  
  
phone.  
  
"Peterson, here," came the well-rehearsed and often spoken  
  
response from Jim.  
  
"Jim, it's Ron."  
  
"Yes, sir," Jim answered, his posture straightening out  
  
instinctually.  
  
"Everything ok over there?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Why the late departure?" the senior agent asked.  
  
"I.I'm not sure, sir. There was a cancellation and."  
  
"Never mind. How is the First Lady? What kind of mood is she  
  
in? I'd like to prepare the President before her arrival."  
  
Jim looked at Bob, then at the First Lady, who was looking  
  
out the window. He swallowed and looked at the phone in his hand.  
  
Yeah, ok.how do I answer that question, he wondered.. Part Three Jim looked at Bob, then at the First Lady, who was looking  
  
out the window. He swallowed and looked at the phone in his hand.  
  
Yeah, ok.how do I answer that question, he wondered..  
  
Jim turned his face away from the First Lady. "Sir, I'm not  
  
exactly sure."  
  
"What?" Ron answered, his voice a mixture of confusion and  
  
concern. "What's the problem?"  
  
"No.no problem, sir," Jim assured his chief, quietly. "It's  
  
just that she's." He paused for a moment.  
  
"She's what? Hurt? Sick?"  
  
"Nothing like that."  
  
"Oh no," Ron said, his voice lowering almost on  
  
octave. "She's not in one of her moods is she?"  
  
Jim looked back at the First Lady, trying not to focus on her  
  
legs.so his eyes moved upwards, but that was no help as her cleavage  
  
was more of a distraction than her legs were. "Well, sort of.I can't  
  
really explain, sir."  
  
Ron sighed with irritation. "Fine. All I want to know is: is  
  
she pissed off? The President needs to know that before her  
  
arrival. I want to prepare him."  
  
"Pissed off? No, sir. Definitely not that."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Our ETA is in approximately," Jim stopped a moment to look  
  
at his watch and then outside to determine the car's location. "five  
  
minutes, sir."  
  
"Good. See you shortly. We'll have a detail meeting upon  
  
your return."  
  
The phone clicked on the other end and Jim put his phone away.  
  
"Was that Ron Butterfield?" Abbey asked, still looking out  
  
the window.  
  
"Ma'am?" Jim responded.  
  
"Was that Ron Butterfield, I asked," repeated the First Lady.  
  
"Well, ma'am...I.that's.." Agents were not supposed to  
  
discuss their phone conversations, unless it was vital to the  
  
security of the person involved.  
  
"Calling so he can give my husband a head's up, eh?" she  
  
continued, still not moving, but her voice hinting at mild amusement.  
  
Bob looked at Jim, who was returning his stare, silently  
  
praying that his partner would somehow bail him out of this jam.  
  
"Mrs. Bartlet," Bob interjected. "I'm sure whoever it was  
  
simply checking on our arrival status."  
  
Abbey slowly turned her head to face the men. Her eyes were  
  
riveted on them now. Her mouth was cocked in a half smile and she  
  
couldn't help but roll her eyes ever so slightly. "You guys really  
  
believe I don't know about `the system'?"  
  
The agents look at each other, trying not to break their calm  
  
expressions.  
  
"What I am surprised at is that you don't have some sort  
  
of `code' to transmit to my husband about what kind of mood I'm in  
  
when I get back. You know: Code Green means that I'm in a good  
  
mood, Code Yellow means tread carefully and Code Red.well, stay back,  
  
she's on the warpath."  
  
Her description was met with silence.  
  
Abbey now leaned forward, closer to the men who were sitting  
  
across from her. "Hey, I understand, fellas-your job is to protect  
  
the President." She drummed her fingernails on the leather of the  
  
seat. "So, what would today be, then..I'm not sure Red, Yellow or  
  
Green would cover it. What do you think?" She lifted one leg and  
  
crossed it over the other. The fabric of her dress clung to the  
  
barely damp skin of her thighs. "Any suggestions?"  
  
"I think." Jim managed to get out, "we've arrived, Ma'am."  
  
"Good," Abbey said, reaching over and putting on her overcoat  
  
once again. She carefully fastened the buttons-taking her own time  
  
with each one. Then, she placed the hat on her head, at a slight  
  
angle. The rain started pounding outside the car. The car slowed  
  
down and the agents jumped into action, getting out of the car and  
  
opening the door for the First Lady. Just like their departure, the  
  
red umbrella popped up, like fireworks just after dusk.  
  
She headed immediately for Leo's office. She strode in to  
  
his waiting area, where Margaret was sitting, attempting to type the  
  
umpteenth memo of the day. Not looking up from her work, Margaret  
  
noticed a presence before her.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked, as she reached for her  
  
appointment book.  
  
"Hello Margaret. Good to see you. Is he in?"  
  
Margaret looked up quickly, recognizing the voice  
  
immediately, but not the person. "Mrs. Bartlet, ma'am?"  
  
"Yes. How are you, Margaret?"  
  
"Fine." she said. There was something very-different about  
  
her. But, it was hard to tell. She was still wearing an overcoat  
  
and hat. Still, her face..  
  
"Is he in?" Abbey asked.  
  
"Of course. I'll let him know you are waiting."  
  
As Abbey waited outside, Jim turned to Bob. "I'll go put in  
  
our report. You stay with her."  
  
"All right. Hey, Jim?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Exactly what are you going to say in your report?" Bob  
  
inquired with a smirk.  
  
"I have no idea, my friend. I have no idea," he said as he  
  
walked away.  
"Good afternoon, sir," Jim said, as he entered Ron's office.  
  
"Jim, good to see you," Ron said, reaching his hand out to  
  
shake Jim's. "How was the trip?"  
  
"Remarkable," Jim muttered.  
  
"Pardon me?"  
  
"Sir, may I ask you a question that may seem-odd?"  
  
"I find that nothing around here to be too odd anymore," Ron  
  
said under his breath.  
  
"Do the President and First Lady have a good relationship,  
  
sir?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but do I look like either a gossip columnist or a  
  
marriage counselor?"  
  
"Of course not, sir.however."  
  
"Look at this!" Ron bellowed, showing the junior agent a  
  
stack of papers. "I have better things to do with my time than  
  
concern myself with crap like that."  
  
"I realize that, however there is something going on with the  
  
First Lady-and I'm.well.concerned."  
  
Ron put the papers down. "Something going on? Can you be a  
  
little more specific please?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I don't understand, Jim."  
  
"No, I can't be more specific. There's just something going  
  
on. You need to see it in order to understand."  
  
"Jim, I don't have time for games," Ron said sternly.  
  
"Believe me, I am not playing games. She's.she's different."  
  
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Where is she now?"  
  
"Waiting for Mr. McGarry at his office, last I knew."  
  
"Let's go," Ron said, standing and heading for the door.  
Margaret exited from Leo's office. "He just stepped out for  
  
two seconds, but you are more than welcome to wait for him inside his  
  
office."  
  
"Thank you," Abbey replied and walked inside. Bob waited  
  
outside.  
  
As she entered, she noted that the senior staff was just  
  
breaking up, apparently from a noon meeting. Well, this will be even  
  
better than I thought, Abbey mused to herself.  
  
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Abbey announced as  
  
she walked in. In one deft movement, she removed her overcoat and  
  
hat.  
  
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Bart." Sam began, then, seeing Abbey,  
  
stopped.  
  
"Did the lot of you finally manage to finally cause Leo to  
  
run for his life?" she quipped.  
  
Toby, now noticing the First Lady, gruffly cleared his  
  
throat. "No, ma'am. He just stepped out to get some figures down  
  
the hall."  
  
"How are ya, Toby?" Abbey asked with a smile.  
  
"Fine. Just fine," Toby responded, not hiding a smile of his  
  
own.  
  
"You look." Josh began.  
  
"Yes, Joshua?"  
  
All Josh could do with stand there. "I don't think I should  
  
say, ma'am. If the President found out."  
  
"He'd kill you," Sam jumped in.  
  
"Well, how sweet of you, Josh. And, I think you  
  
underestimate my husband. Killing would be only the start, I'm sure."  
  
CJ beamed with delight. "Ma'am..how was your trip?"  
  
"Fantastic, CJ. Stop by my office later and I'll tell you  
  
all about it. As long as you promise it's off the record."  
  
"Of course," CJ answered.  
  
"If you all don't mind, I'd like to meet with Leo by myself,"  
  
Abbey requested.  
  
The staff nodded and left as quickly as possible, each of  
  
them muttering to the other-trying to guess what had happened to the  
  
First Lady while she was away.  
  
Leo, meanwhile, was heading back through the bullpen and  
  
passed by Margaret's desk.  
  
"Leo."  
  
"Not now, Margaret, I'm a busy man," he said, breezing past  
  
her desk.  
  
"But, Leo! Mrs. Bartlet is in there and."  
  
Leo walked through the door and shut it behind him.  
  
"Does nobody appreciate what I do around here?" he groaned,  
  
looking at the folder in his hands.  
  
"Yes, Leo. I appreciate you."  
  
Leo's head shot up to see Abbey standing before him. My God-  
  
she was..  
  
"Jesus.Abbey!"  
  
"I do appreciate you, Leo," she repeated.  
  
"All righ, I get that.But, Abbey..What have you done?"  
  
"It's not what I've done, Leo," Abbey said with a smile,  
  
walking closer to him. "It's what I plan to do.But, I need you in  
  
order to do it." Part Four "Jesus.Abbey!"  
  
"I do appreciate you, Leo," she repeated.  
  
"All right.What have you done?"  
  
"It's not what I've done, Leo," Abbey said with a smile,  
  
walking closer to him. "It's what I plan to do.But, I need you in  
  
order to do it."  
  
"Come on, CJ. You have to admit." Josh began.  
  
"I admit nothing!" she barked back.  
  
"You have to admit it looks a little strange. The First Lady-  
  
looking like she is-meeting Leo, all alone."  
  
"What are you saying?" Sam piped in.  
  
"I'm saying that.you don't think Leo and Mrs. Bartlet have a.  
  
thing.going on?" Josh continued.  
  
Toby laughed gruffly. "Josh, when you graduated from that  
  
big fancy school of yours, did you check the leather folder you got  
  
to make sure there was actually a degree in there? Because for such  
  
an `educated man', you are not the brightest bulb in the box."  
  
"I don't understand." Josh defended.  
  
"That's just the point! You don't understand!" CJ  
  
laughed. "If the First Lady were having an affair, do you think  
  
she's so dumb as to flaunt it?"  
  
"Yeah, ok, Ms. Smarty Pants," Josh retorted, "Do you ever  
  
recall seeing her looking like that around here?"  
  
"No."  
  
"And I've been hearing rumblings that's she acting very  
  
strange. I mean, face it, she's not acting like her normal self,"  
  
Josh pressed on.  
  
"Maybe she's cracked under all the pressure," Sam offered.  
  
CJ spun around. "Abigail Bartlet is stronger than any of us-  
  
probably all of us put together," she snapped, spinning around on her  
  
heel.  
  
"I realize that, but she's been through hell, CJ."  
  
"So, she decides to screw around with Leo, right under the  
  
President's nose?"  
  
The room fell silent.  
  
"Stranger things have happened," Sam said.  
  
Toby rubbed his forehead and took a seat. "Has the President  
  
seen her, yet?"  
  
"See, that's the thing," Josh answered. "She went right to  
  
Leo's office upon her return-and she looked like."  
  
"She looked good," Sam interrupted.  
  
"Whatever," Josh replied awkwardly. "Don't you think that  
  
she'd go see the President first, especially looking like that?"  
  
For a second time, no one said a word.  
Before Leo could reply to Abbey's comment, a knock on the  
  
door interrupted their conversation.  
  
"Yeah," Leo called out awkwardly.  
  
The door opened and Ron entered the room. He stopped short  
  
upon seeing Abbey.  
  
"Uh.Mr. McGarry. I was wondering if you could stop by a  
  
security meeting we are having around two o'clock this afternoon."  
  
Leo looked back and forth between the agent and his best  
  
friend's wife. Not exactly sure of what to make of any of this, he  
  
shook his head. "Sure, Ron. I'll drop in."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Ron replied. He continued to look at  
  
Abbey. "Mrs. Bartlet, ma'am. It's good to have you back."  
  
"Thank you, Ron," Abbey answered, flashing him a winning  
  
smile. "I wanted to thank you for what a wonderful job you are doing  
  
with your men. They keep such a close eye on me. It's nice to know  
  
I am safe."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," the chief agent said, a twinge of discomfort in  
  
his voice.  
  
"Oh, by the way. Ask one of the agents who was with me today  
  
about the code system we discussed in the car on the way back. It  
  
might come in handy."  
  
"All right." Ron told her. "I'll let you get back to your  
  
meeting. I apologize for the intrusion." He left the room quickly  
  
and quietly.  
  
Jim waited for him in the corridor right outside. "Well?"  
  
"Yeah, you're right. Something is up." Ron said carefully.  
  
Jim nodded.  
  
"Let's go back to my office. You can finish filing your  
  
report."  
  
The two started back for Ron's office.  
  
"By the way.what is this about a new code system the First  
  
Lady mentioned in there?"  
  
"Now, where were we?" Abbey said, turning to Leo again.  
  
"Abbey." Leo moaned. "How many times have I told you? I  
  
can't do this."  
  
"It's only this one time," Abbey protested, a shadow of a  
  
whine in her voice. "You sounded ok about it when I called you about  
  
it from the plane."  
  
"I had some time to think it over, " Leo countered.  
  
"Leo."  
  
"Mrs. Bartlet."  
  
"Leo."  
  
"Abbey! And, what is this?" he questioned, waving his hand  
  
in her direction, moving up and down.  
  
Abbey turned around slowly. She looked over her  
  
shoulder. "What? You don't like?"  
  
"That's not the point."  
  
"Then, what is your point, exactly?" Abbey challenged, still  
  
smiling.  
  
Leo folded his arms. "How am I supposed to do this? You  
  
think he won't know something is up?"  
  
"My guess.no. He won't. He's too busy. Too distracted,"  
  
Abbey answered.  
  
Leo sighed.  
  
"Leo, please..it's important to me," Abbey pressed, giving a  
  
playful frown.  
  
He went to his phone and hit the intercom button. "Margaret?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Hold all my calls for the next." he looked at Abbey, then  
  
his watch. "Half an hour.ok? No calls, no walk-ins, no  
  
interruptions. You understand me?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Margaret said, uneasily.  
  
"Thank you," Leo replied and turned off the intercom.  
  
"A half hour, huh? You work fast." Abbey told him, with a  
  
laugh.  
  
"You're lucky I didn't say fifteen minutes," Leo returned,  
  
trying not to return her smile. "Now, come on. Let's get to it." Part Five "You do realize that this will probably kill him, right?" Leo  
  
informed Abbey.  
  
From the chair she was sitting in, Abbey stretched as she  
  
responded, "He needs a wake up call."  
  
"This will do it." Leo emphasized, standing up and walking  
  
toward the door that connects his office to the Oval Office.  
  
As Abbey completed her stretch, she yawned and a look of  
  
utter satisfaction filled her face. She looked at her watch. "Well,  
  
it seems we made it under your half hour deadline."  
  
"Just barely," Leo grinned.  
  
"Good things take time," Abbey said.  
  
"Uh huh." Leo looked at Abbey. That woman, he thought to  
  
himself. She can either charm whatever she wants out of you or scare  
  
it out of you-maybe even a combination of the two.  
  
"Thank you, Leo," Abbey now said, sincerely. She rose and  
  
walked over to him, putting her arms around him. "You won't regret  
  
this."  
  
"I already do," Leo replied with mock indignation. "This  
  
will never work."  
  
"You don't trust me, Leo? I'm hurt."  
  
"In my life's experience, which is considerably long and  
  
arduous, I've learned to trust no one but myself."  
  
"Nice attitude," Abbey sniffed.  
  
"It's how I try to avoid getting in situations like this."  
  
"You love me and you know it," Abbey chuckled, giving him a  
  
hug.  
  
"Don't do that." Leo requested, pulling away slightly.  
  
"Why on earth not?" Abbey marveled. "We've been friends for  
  
years!"  
  
"Ahem, well.most of my friends-as a matter of fact none of my  
  
friends look the way you look. And, God forgive me Abbey, but no man  
  
but your husband should be this close to you right now. It's not  
  
fair."  
  
Abbey flushed slightly. "Oh.."  
  
"Don't `oh', me..you knew exactly the type of reaction you  
  
would get coming back here like that."  
  
"I knew that most people would react that way.I didn't expect  
  
it from you," Abbey assured him.  
  
"Why not me?" Leo questioned.  
  
"You've just about seen it all, Leo!"  
  
"Just about..but not all.and right now, it's getting pretty  
  
close to `all'. Abbey, you know, contrary to popular belief, I am  
  
only human. It may not seem like that because I have no life outside  
  
of here-no life and especially no women.all the more reason why you  
  
should leave now, if you get my meaning." Leo's face now started  
  
turning a light shade of pink.  
  
"All right, Leo. So, you are ok with this now?"  
  
"I guess so. You know you've always had me twisted around my  
  
little finger," Leo confessed quietly, embarrassed.  
  
"Yeah," Abbey whispered, leaning in and giving him a soft  
  
kiss on the cheek. "I don't mean to take advantage of that."  
  
"Bullshit," Leo whispered back. "Now get out of here and let  
  
me get to work."  
  
"Yes, sir." Abbey said, grabbing her coat and hat.  
  
"Sir? Oh, please." Leo laughed.  
  
Abbey's laughter joined his as she walked out the door.  
  
As Abbey left, Leo followed her out and went to  
  
Margaret. "Margaret, can you please add a security meeting with Ron  
  
to my schedule at 2?"  
  
"Sure," Margaret replied, writing it in the book. She  
  
followed Leo into his office.  
  
"So.the two of you are finished with your meeting?" Margaret  
  
asked after a moment of standing in front of Leo's desk.  
  
"I'm sorry?" Leo asked absently, sitting down and looking at  
  
his papers.  
  
"You and the First Lady.."  
  
"What about us?"  
  
"Is there an `us'?" The question burst forth out of her mouth.  
  
Leo looked up now, shocked. "I beg your pardon?"  
  
Margaret took a breath. "I'm sorry."  
  
"You should be!" Leo boomed.  
  
"It's just.it looked."  
  
"I don't care what it looked like! She's the First Lady!!"  
  
"Leo! Did you happen to notice how she looked" Margaret  
  
asked defiantly.  
  
Leo shrugged. "What of it?"  
  
"It was.."  
  
"Never mind.what do you have for me.."  
  
Margaret handed Leo another file. "What is going on with the  
  
First Lady, Leo?"  
  
"I don't know. I try not to get involved in personal  
  
matters."  
  
"Well, what on earth did you just talk about for a half an  
  
hour?"  
  
Leo looked up at Margaret and glared, saying nothing.  
  
"I'm guessing by your reaction that my question was a little  
  
out of line." Margaret said meekly.  
  
"And THAT is the first thing you have guessed correctly since  
  
walking in here. Why don't you leave while you're on a roll?" Leo  
  
suggested, calmly.  
  
Margaret nodded and left in silence. Leo tossed the folder  
  
on the desk and put his head in his hands.  
  
"Abigail Bartlet. Why did you have to pull me into your  
  
sticky little web?" Part Six Leo sighed audibly and stood up from his chair. How was he  
  
going to get away with this? Logistically, it wasn't even possible.  
  
They were all too visible and this place-sees all, knows all. Still,  
  
once he made a promise, he kept it: Especially with Abbey. Abbey  
  
didn't take kindly to broken promises.  
  
But this one..  
  
This would never work. And, if it did, he'd have to live with  
  
it for the rest of his life.  
  
Yet, she was irresistible. Leo rarely had a hard time  
  
saying `no' to anyone. Abbey, however, was the rare exception.  
  
Abbey, dressed like that, smiling in her own sexy way.how can  
  
any man say no?  
  
With one more deep breath, Leo left his office. He would  
  
make this work. For Abbey's sake.  
  
"Is there anything else?" President Bartlet asked his senior  
  
staff, who were all congregated in the Oval Office for the last  
  
meeting of the day.  
  
"No, sir," Leo said abruptly.  
  
"Well, there was one issue.." Sam began.  
  
"Not tonight," Leo replied wearily.  
  
"But we agreed earlier."  
  
Leo looked at Sam, clearly agitated now. "That was earlier,  
  
Sam. Go home. Have a life."  
  
Jed looked at his best friend.  
  
"What's the matter, Leo? Have a hot date?" Josh teased.  
  
Leo cleared his throat. "Don't you have something to do?"  
  
"Other than give you a hard time?"  
  
"I think it's a wise idea to find something else to do," Leo  
  
suggested strongly.  
  
"Thank you all," the President said, his cue that the meeting  
  
was over.  
  
With a round of `Yes, sirs", the room cleared. Leo remained,  
  
still looking through a folder.  
  
"You never gave the boy an answer, you know," Jed indicated.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir?"  
  
"You never answered Josh's question."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About what?" Jed laughed. "You do this."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Answer questions with questions..be evasive.when you're  
  
uncomfortable about something."  
  
"And you don't?" Leo continued, putting the folder down.  
  
"You're still doing it."  
  
"Sir," Leo began.  
  
"Do you have a hot date?"  
  
Leo made no reply this time as he set the folder down.  
  
"Ah ha!"  
  
"Sir."  
  
"You do! Wonderful! Spectacular! Who is she? Do I know  
  
her?"  
  
"It's nothing like that, sir," Leo said, waving his hand  
  
dismissively.  
  
"Oh.just a little, brief extra curricular thing, then? I  
  
must say, Leo, while I am shocked, I am still pleased." Jed was  
  
enjoying this supremely. Leo knew that much.  
  
"I just have something I need to take care of, that's all."  
  
"So, do I know her?" Jed repeated.  
  
Leo rolled his eyes.  
  
"Speaking of hot dates, have you seen my wife?"  
  
Leo's heart jumped into his throat.  
  
"Leo?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Have you seen Abbey? She got home today from her trip, but  
  
I have yet to see her. Was wondering if you ran into her."  
  
"Oh, well.she sorta ran into me, actually," Leo offered  
  
uncomfortably.  
  
"Where the hell is she, anyway? Well, no matter.I'm off to  
  
find her."  
  
"Sir!" Leo called out.  
  
"Yeah?" Jed stopped and faced his friend.  
  
"I.there's something I need to share with you."  
  
Just then, Leo's cell phone rang. He flipped it  
  
open. "Yeah? Ok.We'll be there.." He hung up. "Sir.."  
  
"Oh, no.not tonight, Leo. Abbey's home. I haven't seen her  
  
in ages, if you get my meaning. I plan on wining her, dining her and  
  
whatever else may come after that, as long as we don't wind up  
  
screaming at one another."  
  
Leo cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, sir. It's an urgent  
  
call from Nancy. We need to meet in the sit room."  
  
"Damn it! Leo! One night! That's all I ask for! Is that  
  
too much to ask."  
  
"When your President of the United States, sometimes it is,  
  
I'm afraid."  
  
Jed shook his head. "Let's go get this over with. Maybe I  
  
can find her afterward."  
  
"Very good, sir. I'm sure she'll understand," Leo suggested.  
  
"Do you realize that you are you talking about Abbey?"  
  
Leo smiled weakly. "I do realize that, yes."  
  
"Ok, just checking. Nancy's gonna hear about this, though.  
  
You can bank on that."  
  
"I'm sure she'll appreciate a lecture about how she's  
  
interfering in your love life," Leo said with a snarky laugh.  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
The two men headed out the door and down toward the sit room.  
  
Outside the room stood Jim, assigned to duty for the night.  
  
He had heard there was an important meeting about to start, and that  
  
his duty for the night would begin here.  
  
Upon seeing Mr. McGarry and the President, Jim straightened  
  
up and nodded his greeting.  
  
"'Evening, Jim," Leo greeted. "Good to see you again."  
  
"Same here, sir."  
  
"You ready?" Leo asked Jed.  
  
"As ready as I'm going to be," Jed huffed in a grumpy tone.  
  
"After you, then, sir," Leo said.  
  
Jed growled and opened the door. "Ok, Nancy, what have you  
  
got for me? It had better be good"  
  
The door shut behind him and Jed noticed quickly that Nancy  
  
wasn't running this meeting.  
  
"Ab.Abigail?" he choked out.  
  
Abbey was reclined in one of the chairs, at the opposite head  
  
of the table. "Now, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think  
  
what I have to offer is probably better than anything Nancy can  
  
offer. Now, I'm no National Security Advisor, but I do have some  
  
secrets of my own." Part Seven The door shut behind him and Jed noticed quickly that Nancy  
  
wasn't running this meeting.  
  
"Ab.Abigail?" he choked out.  
  
Abbey was reclined in one of the chairs, at the opposite head  
  
of the table. "Now, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think  
  
what I have to offer is probably better than anything Nancy can  
  
offer. Now, I'm no National Security Advisor, but I do have some  
  
secrets of my own."  
  
Jed turned around to see the shut door, and realized that Leo  
  
was no longer behind him. What the hell was going on?  
  
"Abbey?" Jed repeated, his voice thick with a mixture of  
  
confusion and desire. "I don't understand."  
  
"There are some things, Jed, that defy understanding..go  
  
beyond reason," Abbey replied, as she strummed her fingers over the  
  
highly polished wood of the situation room table.  
  
Jed swallowed. "Um..yeah. Jesus, Abbey. I hardly recognize  
  
you."  
  
Abbey stood up, very slowly, but said nothing.  
  
Clearing his throat, Jed took a minute to try to compose  
  
himself. "Shall I take it from your appearance that you had a good  
  
trip?"  
  
"I think that's a fair conclusion," Abbey answered.  
  
"Because, you know, usually when you come home from a trip, I  
  
don't get this type of greeting."  
  
"What do you mean?" Abbey asked innocently.  
  
"You're usually pissed at me." continued Jed. His eyes were  
  
wide with awe as he took in the sight of his wife.  
  
"Now, why would I be pissed at you now?"  
  
Jed couldn't hold back a grin now. "You've never seemed to  
  
need a great reason before."  
  
Abbey pushed back the chair behind her. She licked her  
  
lips. "Well, Jed.Do I looked pissed now?"  
  
Jed shook his head. "No."  
  
Abbey shook her head, too. "That's right, Jed. I'm not  
  
pissed. But, I am a little surprised."  
  
"Surprised?"  
  
"Yes. You haven't said much about how I look."  
  
"What can I say, Abbey.it's unbelievable."  
  
That was an understatement. Jed's eyes roamed all over his  
  
wife's body. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. Her hair,  
  
always long and full, was now cropped into a sleek, short style, with  
  
only soft wisps on each side of her face to give a hint of  
  
femininity. While it was a drastic change, Jed thought that the  
  
choice was superb. The style was a perfect combination: it was  
  
sophisticated, yet there was also the just the slightest hint of  
  
being untamed-like she ran her fingers through it to give it a bit of  
  
an edge.  
  
The color was the same; yet, it seemed more.vibrant. Or maybe it was  
  
the radiance of her face that made it seem that way. She positively  
  
glowed. No, it was more than that. She was electric.  
  
As Jed's eyes traveled down her body, it was hard not to gape at her  
  
ample cleavage, peeking out of her button down, barely sheer peasant  
  
blouse. Her shoulders were proudly displayed, too. Jed's mind  
  
started to race at the thought of what lay beneath the flimsy fabric.  
  
Moving further down, Abbey's legs were gorgeously enhanced by a  
  
modestly short, black skirt. They seemed to go on forever. The fact  
  
that she wore tall, thin heels just extended the illusion.  
  
There was nothing extreme or harsh about her look-a simple  
  
combination of little changes (with the exception of the hair)  
  
created a stunning picture before him. And, Jed, in turn, felt a  
  
definite twinge in his briefs. He was sure Abbey could notice it  
  
through his dress pants-and for some reason, he felt slightly  
  
embarrassed.  
  
"Who.who has seen you like this?" Jed questioned in a quiet, almost  
  
reverent tone.  
  
"Oh, just about everyone," Abbey answered sweetly. "I think my  
  
agents particularly liked it."  
  
"Jesus.Abbey.you shouldn't go walking around looking like that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Why not? It's.it's too distracting. Besides, I don't like  
  
the thought of other men looking at you the way I am looking at you  
  
now."  
  
"No one can look at me the way you do, pumpkin," Abbey  
  
informed him, grinning widely.  
  
Jed started to walk toward Abbey.  
  
"No," Abbey said firmly, but in a hushed tone.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Stay there," Abbey instructed.  
  
"But, I want to."  
  
Abbey's expression became serious. "I know.just stay there."  
  
To Jed's shock and amazement, Abbey climbed up on the table  
  
and, on all fours, crawled over to him. As she slid over, Jed could  
  
see right down her blouse. Her breasts were full and flushed  
  
slightly pink against the white silk restraint of the delicate bra  
  
holding them in.  
  
"Abbey." Jed groaned.  
  
When Abbey reached Jed, she positioned herself in front of  
  
him, seated, legs spread opened and pulled him to her roughly.  
  
"Well, unfortunately, we don't have a fight to make up for,"  
  
Abbey said with a playful scowl, "But, I thought that perhaps you  
  
would enjoy a little hands-on work in the name of domestic  
  
tranquility-that is what you do in here, isn't it? Handle tricky  
  
situations?"  
  
Jed's voice almost failed him now-probably because most of  
  
the blood in his body was racing away from his brain and headed for  
  
points due south. Still he managed, "Domestic tranquility? Yeah.."  
  
Abbey licked her lips again, as her hand slid down to rub the  
  
outside of Jed's slacks. "Good. I think you'll find me in need of  
  
some of your strategic and masterful handling of volatile situations."  
  
"That's Leo's area of expertise," Jed blurted out.  
  
"Well, I can get him in here, too, if you wish," Abbey teased.  
  
"WHAT?! No! God, did he see you like this?"  
  
"Oh, yes. How do you think I got him to help me set this  
  
thing up?"  
  
"He helped you?! He saw you? He knows what's going on in  
  
here?"  
  
"Yes, my love," Abbey answered casually, continuing to rub  
  
the now extremely taut fabric of his pants. "He was an unwilling  
  
accomplice, at first. But, I managed to convince him of the  
  
importance of this meeting."  
  
"Yeah, you have a way of being pretty convincing, Abigail.  
  
And if you were dressed like that."  
  
"I was."  
  
"I'm surprised he kept his hands off of you," Jed concluded.  
  
"Me too, actually," Abbey tossed back, smiling. "He did seem  
  
rather excited, though."  
  
"Don't tell me that," Jed growled, now pulling her closer.  
  
"Oooh, I keep forgetting how jealous you can get."  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
Their eyes were locked on each other. Man and wife both  
  
shared a twisted grin.  
  
Abbey then started to nibble on Jed's ear. "So, Mr. President-  
  
looks like you'll have to handle this situation on your own-what will  
  
you do next?" Part Eight When Leo had shut the door, he turned to the agent. "No one  
  
is to disturb this meeting, understand?"  
  
Jim nodded. "Of course, Mr. McGarry."  
  
Sighing loudly, Leo remained still for a moment, and looked  
  
back at the closed door. "You know, Jim. There are certain things  
  
that I shouldn't be responsible for as Chief of Staff."  
  
"Well, sir, it's my understanding that you are responsible  
  
for just about everything here."  
  
"Yeah," Leo mumbled. "Except the last time I checked, it was  
  
not in my job description to be arrange sexual rendezvous for the  
  
First Couple." He scratched his chin.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir. What did you say?"  
  
"Never mind. Inform me if there is a national emergency."  
  
"Yes, sir," Jim agreed.  
  
Leo shook his head and headed back upstairs.  
  
Jim stood outside the Situation Room. He knew that the only  
  
meeting going on in there was between the President and the First  
  
Lady. And while he didn't know precisely the nature of the meeting,  
  
judging by the First Lady's appearance and attitude, he could only  
  
guess. And, suddenly, Jim squirmed a little, trying to subdue his  
  
rising interest in the situation behind that closed door.  
"Abigail.we can't do this here," Jed groaned, as she licked  
  
his ear.  
  
"Why not? It's one of the most secure places in the world.  
  
You wanted to take me in the Oval Office once-See, I'm a little  
  
smarter than that."  
  
"Oh really. Why is that?"  
  
"No windows here," Abbey replied. Her lips traveled down to  
  
just below Jed's ear and she lightly sucked his neck.  
  
"Oooh.yeah." Jed agreed with his wife. Of course, at this  
  
point, he'd agree to about anything she said. "But, you can't tell  
  
me that you haven't thought about doing it in the Oval Office."  
  
"Of course I have," Abbey purred, continuing to kiss his  
  
neck. "I already have plans for that room."  
  
"You.you do?" gulped Jed.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Care to share?" requested the President.  
  
"When the time is right," Abbey continued. She pulled back  
  
slightly, undoing one of the buttons on her shirt. "Now, are you  
  
going to stand there and talk, or are you going to start taking care  
  
of the business at hand."  
  
He looked at Abbey and ran his finger down to where the  
  
buttons fell open. "Yeah, I guess we do talk too much."  
  
When Jed's finger came into contact with her flesh, Abbey's  
  
eyes closed. "What's this about `we' talk too much?"  
  
"I said `we' and I meant it," Jed stated emphatically. His  
  
finger traveled delicately over her skin. With his other hand, he  
  
tilted Abbey's head up. "If we get caught, I'm going to be impeached  
  
for sure."  
  
"You haven't been impeached, yet. I doubt it will happen at  
  
this point," Abbey teased with a broad smile.  
  
"Oh, Hell.this will be worth it," Jed growled, bent his own  
  
head down and took Abbey's lips onto his. Both sets of lips parted  
  
immediately, a combination of intense desire and the familiarity that  
  
only comes with years of exploration and discovery. Rather than a  
  
kiss, this seemed more like Jed and Abbey were breathing together,  
  
hot and anxious.  
  
Abbey pressed her body against Jed's, and he could feel her  
  
nipples hardening through the light fabric of her blouse.  
  
"You are ready." Jed commented, an evil grin popping up on  
  
his face.  
  
"I've been ready."  
  
As he continued to kiss her, his hands undid the blouse and  
  
he slid it off of her. Her breasts were pushed up by white lace bra,  
  
which just made her breasts seem even more full and voluptuous than  
  
they already were.  
  
Simultaneously, Abbey started undressing Jed: first, the  
  
jacket and tie, then his dress shirt. "Damn it, man. You wear too  
  
many clothes."  
  
"I'll start walking naked around the White House," Jed  
  
muttered.  
  
"Fine," Abbey said, intently focused on removing his belt and  
  
unbuckling his pants. She could feel his hardness straining and she  
  
couldn't wait to get to it.  
  
"Easy, Abbey, easy."  
  
"Be quiet," she snapped lightly, finally managing to pull  
  
down his pants.  
  
"Yeah, ok. I just don't want this over before we've barely  
  
started." He buried his face into her cleavage, kissing the exposed  
  
skin passionately.  
  
"Jed." Abbey whispered and squirmed on the edge of the table.  
  
Jed's hands started rubbing Abbey all over, then, out of  
  
nowhere, he placed both hands on the front of the bra and tore.  
  
"Jed!"  
  
"Be quiet." It was Jed's turn to lightly scold. "You've been  
  
asking for this since you came home. You're just lucky that I'm the  
  
one giving it to you."  
  
Abbey smiled wickedly. Oh, he's getting firm-in more ways  
  
than one, she thought to herself.  
  
Abbey placed her hand behind his head and guided him to her  
  
breasts. Jed eagerly followed her lead, as he wrapped his lips  
  
around her swollen peak. Upon impact, Abbey's breath loudly caught  
  
in her throat.  
  
"Abbey, shhh," Jed whispered. "They'll hear us out there."  
  
"Screw that.give them a thrill."  
  
Jim heard a loud gasp coming from the room. "Damn," he  
  
muttered and shifted position again. He could only imagine what was  
  
going on in there---he had numerous fantasies about seeing Abigail  
  
Bartlet in action and now it was happening, just on the other side of  
  
one door. He closed his eyes. "Come on, Jim.think of something else.  
  
anything else."  
  
When a high-pitched squeak and giggle came from the room, Jim  
  
clenched his fists.  
  
Then, as if drawn by a power beyond his control, Jim found  
  
himself silently opening the door a crack. Part Nine Once the door was open enough, Jim looked inside-carefully,  
  
so as not to be detected. If he was sure of any one thing, he was  
  
certain that if he was caught watching the President and the First  
  
Lady going at it in the Situation Room, he'd not only be fired, he'd  
  
probably wind up somehow being drawn and quartered. Still, the  
  
temptation was too much to resist.  
  
Jim's timing seemed right on, because the first thing he saw  
  
was the First Lady's legs wrapping around the President's waist, as  
  
he pulled her to the very edge of the table. The President was still  
  
in his boxers, but the unmistakable slow thrusts showed that they  
  
were not an obstruction whatsoever.  
  
"Abbey." Jed drawled slowly and quietly.  
  
Abbey nodded her in silent response and now wrapped her arms  
  
around Jed's neck, trying to get even closer to him. She lifted her  
  
hips slightly, so Jed could get a better angle and deeper within  
  
her.  
  
Jim knew he shouldn't watch, for a variety of reasons. Of  
  
course, it was wrong, that was a given. Some would even say it's a  
  
little, well, sick. But mostly, the biggest reason he shouldn't  
  
observe, Jim quickly discovered, was growing in his pants. There  
  
was no mistaking the hard-on he had. But, for now, Jim didn't care.  
  
The entwined couple still moved slowly on the table.  
  
"Slow, Abbey.. Damn, woman.I'm not sure how long I can hold  
  
out."  
  
"Oh, don't worry, babe. This is going to take a while.  
  
Count on it."  
  
"You are always so optimistic." A thin layer of perspiration  
  
broke out across his forehead.  
  
"I know you.it will be better if we make it last." Abbey  
  
wiped Jed's brow, then kissed his neck.  
  
"But, Abbey." Jed's voice broke slightly.  
  
"No buts, Josiah."  
  
Abbey backed off a little bit and then looked down. "Sit in  
  
that chair," she instructed, pointing at the chair immediately behind  
  
him. She put her hands on his shoulders and as she rose from her  
  
sitting position on the table. Jed complied, in awe of the woman  
  
before him.  
  
"I know that I'm usually a man of many articulate words, "Jed  
  
began, standing with his wife now.  
  
"Sometimes to a fault," Abbey concluded, smacking Jed's  
  
behind.  
  
Jed grabbed her around her waist. "Yeah.well.you leave me  
  
speechless, breathless."  
  
"Then I'm doing my job." Abbey put her hands back on his  
  
shoulders and pushed him down into the chair. "Now, let me continue  
  
with my job, will you?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
Abbey smiled and then looked up for a quick moment. That's  
  
when she saw the door, opened slightly, and the agent standing there.  
  
And, Jim knew he was spotted. His eyes could not blink. His  
  
lungs could not take air. The First Lady captured his eyes, and  
  
now, there was nothing to do but wait for what she would do with him.  
Leo looked around for his staff. Where the hell had they  
  
suddenly disappeared?  
  
"Margaret? Where is everyone?"  
  
"Last I saw, they were all heading for CJ's office, I think."  
  
"Something going on?" Leo questioned.  
  
Margaret shrugged. "I have no idea. Where have you been,  
  
anyway? What have you been up to?"  
  
Leo sighed internally. "Setting up a meeting for the  
  
President."  
  
"He's working late, isn't he?"  
  
"Yes, he is," Leo replied, his voice tired. "I'm going to go  
  
find the rest of this motley crew. Why don't you go home."  
  
"All right. Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Leo wandered down to CJ's office, where he found her, Josh,  
  
Toby and Sam.  
  
"Having a party without me?" Leo inquired, announcing his  
  
presence.  
  
"Leo.hey." Sam replied in a slightly awkward tone.  
  
Leo stopped. "Leo.hey??" he repeated. "What's going on?"  
  
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Josh slipped.  
  
"JOSH?!" CJ burst out, and then started to laugh.  
  
Leo looked around the room and saw the amused, but weary look  
  
on Toby's face, while CJ continued to cackle with laughter and Josh  
  
and Sam-well, they just looked bewildered.  
  
"Ok, what the hell is going on here?"  
  
"Leo, would you please tell these." Toby started then  
  
chuckled once. "Would you please tell these two that you and Abbey  
  
are not having an affair?"  
  
Leo's eyes grew wide. "Me? Abbey?" He shook his head  
  
violently, and then shot a look at the two younger men in the  
  
room. "Are your heads planted that firmly up your asses?"  
  
Sam shrugged uncomfortably and Josh stood up. "Leo.we just  
  
thought that.well, when the First Lady showed up to your office,  
  
looking like that..and then."  
  
"Whoa, wait!" CJ interrupted. "We didn't think anything,"  
  
she defended, indicating herself and Toby. "These boneheads did."  
  
Leo flopped into one of the chairs. "I don't need this. Not  
  
today."  
  
"Leo." Sam started.  
  
"Stop! Just stop! Ok? Before you make any other ridiculous  
  
comments or conclusions. Yes, the First Lady came by to see me.and  
  
yes, she looked quite..stunning. But, she certainly did not come by  
  
my office for a damn quickie!!!!" he bellowed.  
  
The room fell silent.  
  
"At least, not with me." he concluded, trailing off.  
  
"Wh..what?" Josh replied.  
  
"The President." CJ said, a smile of recognition spreading  
  
across her face.  
  
"She wanted time with the President," Toby stated simply, as  
  
if the conclusion was obvious.  
  
"That's right," Leo interjected, throwing his hands up.  
  
"You mean, Abbey wanted you to arrange some `down time' with  
  
the President?" Sam asked.  
  
Leo nodded.  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Wow, indeed," Leo answered. "And, since when is it any of  
  
your business of what the First Lady does or the President does.or  
  
for that matter, what I do, in our spare time?"  
  
"Sorry, Leo.it's just." Josh started to say.  
  
"Never mind, never mind. It's over now."  
  
"So, where are they?" Josh continued.  
  
Leo stood up and walked up to Josh. "Would you like me to  
  
tell you, so you can go watch?"  
  
CJ shook her head and sat down behind her desk and Toby now  
  
laughed out loud.  
  
"I don't think the First Lady would appreciate that, huh?"  
  
Josh responded.  
  
"What do you think?" Leo pressed. Although he had to wonder  
  
about that question himself.  
  
Everyone looked at one another around the room-honestly  
  
thinking they were unsure of what the answer to that question would  
  
be. Part Ten Even though Jim knew that it probably was impossible to hold  
  
his breath much longer, he somehow willed himself to do so. A  
  
million thoughts raced through his mind, the most prominent  
  
being, "I'm a dead man."  
  
Abbey didn't blink either. She couldn't believe her eyes.  
  
The agent was watching them! And, it was the same agent from the  
  
plane. For a split second, she didn't move, didn't speak. She just  
  
looked at the unobtrusive intruder. She couldn't help but notice  
  
that his color went from beet red to ashen gray within mere seconds.  
  
She also took note of the bulge in the agent's pants.  
  
In what a seemed to be an agonizing passing of time, neither  
  
person made relinquished their hold on the other.  
  
Until Abbey smiled, pulled Jed to her breast once more and  
  
lowered herself onto her husband.  
  
"Aww..Abbey." the sound coming from Jed started from his  
  
throat and sounded almost raw-instinctual.  
  
Abbey closed her eyes, knowing she needed to focus on her  
  
husband. She had straddled over Jed's legs, and with the leverage of  
  
her feet on the floor and her hands on the back of the chair, she  
  
raised and lowered her hips over his hardness.  
  
Abbey let go a long, throaty sigh as Jed captured one of her  
  
nipples into his mouth and sucked on it hungrily. He placed his  
  
hands under her ass and squeezed the soft flesh.  
  
"Jed.harder.please," she moaned.  
  
"You want it harder? You'd better be careful what you ask  
  
for, little girl," Jed said, his voice clipped in a combination of  
  
lust and warning.  
  
"Little girl? Does this mean I have you to call you Daddy?"  
  
she mocked, rocking her hips into him.  
  
Jed gave out a belly laugh. "I'm not sure that's the most  
  
pleasing image I can think of."  
  
"Oh, I don't know, I swear I felt you get even harder inside  
  
of me," Abbey commented.  
  
Jed lightly smacked Abbey's rear, "Oh yeah, well, how's that?"  
  
"Mmm.I like it." She licked his ear.  
  
Jed's breath caught in his throat. "Yeah, you always have.  
  
where are my handcuffs when I need them?"  
  
"Yeah, you should carry those around more often," Abbey  
  
mused. "You never know when you need to put someone in them."  
  
"I'll make sure I put them on my belt loop every morning from  
  
now on." Jed assured her.  
  
"Well, I don't know about that, but maybe you could borrow  
  
one from one of your agents." Abbey's eyes flew open and caught  
  
Jim's once more. His eyes were wide as saucers. Shit, he thought to  
  
himself.What is she doing?  
  
"And how would I explain that? Hey, Ron.I need a pair of  
  
cuffs so I can get my wife off?"  
  
Abbey quickened the pace slightly, "Mmm.I'm sure he'd  
  
understand.and so would our agents."  
  
Jim swore he saw the First Lady wink at him!  
  
Jed took Abbey's face into his hands. "You know, I think  
  
we're talking too much."  
  
"Never thought I'd hear you say that," Abbey said, bending  
  
down and taking his lips on hers. Jed's tongue swept over her lips  
  
and into her mouth and she sucked on it, relishing its warm  
  
smoothness.  
  
The kiss just fueled the fire that was brewing further down  
  
their bodies. Unspoken words of desire and longing were realized  
  
here in the most efficient and succinct way.  
  
Abbey was surprised when Jed stood up, somehow managing to  
  
keep them joined and set her back down on the edge of the table.  
  
"Josiah Bartlet!" Abbey scolded lightly. "Your back! You're  
  
not supposed to lift."  
  
"You're killing the mood." Jed scolded back, thrusting into  
  
hard deeply.  
  
That got her attention away from his back.  
  
Jed held onto her-one hand on her shoulder, one under her  
  
left leg-tightly. He pushed into her more forcefully and faster.  
  
Abbey reached down in between her legs and started to stroke  
  
herself.  
  
"Show me, honey. Show me how you like it." Jed encouraged in  
  
a whisper.  
  
Abbey's head slumped back slightly, her body starting to  
  
pulse from the sensations coming from the combinations of Jed's  
  
thrusts and her own fingers.  
  
Erotic sounds filled the room: the couple's deep breathing,  
  
the sounds of their bodies hitting the dark wood of the table, and  
  
the occasional whisper of desire.  
  
Jed bent Abbey's leg up a little higher and started to  
  
pant. "Soon.soon."  
  
"No." Abbey pleaded. "Not yet..don't want it to be over."  
  
"Can't.don't want to.either." Jed held his wife tightly as he  
  
raced toward his climax.  
  
Abbey rubbed her center faster. "Jed.God..I want you so  
  
badly."  
  
"I'm yours," he growled. "Jesus, Abbey.forever."  
  
"Harder, Jed. Fuck me harder!" Abbey cried.  
  
Jed nodded and complied, his tempo now furious. All veneers  
  
of President and First Lady were gone now. It was just husband and  
  
wife, man and woman lost in their own sexual rhythm.  
  
Jed bent over Abbey, his breathing now very labored. He  
  
never thought that the last thing he wanted was not to have an  
  
orgasm. He wanted to make love to his wife all night. But, his body  
  
was in control and there was little he could do. "Can't wait." he  
  
exhaled.  
  
Abbey felt her own climax about to erupt. She lifted her  
  
hips, and plunged her tongue into Jed's mouth.  
  
Jed reached the peak just before Abbey, and he couldn't  
  
control his vocal expression of release. It was long and loud,  
  
despite the fact that Abbey was kissing him deeply.  
  
"Come, Abbey.please!" he begged, as his body involuntarily  
  
thrust into her a few last times.  
  
Abbey's head dropped away from Jed's and her mouth fell open  
  
as all of the blood in her body seemed to rush to the place between  
  
her legs and then explode in a rush again throughout her body.  
  
"Yeees! Jed!!!!" she screamed as every muscle in her body  
  
contracted.  
  
Jed held his wife as she convulsed around him. He focused on  
  
her so that he wouldn't collapse over her body.  
  
A few moments passed in relative quiet.  
  
"Jed?" Abbey whispered.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You ok?"  
  
"Baby, I'm better than ok."  
  
Abbey smiled. She kissed him on the forehead.  
  
"Why don't you and I head upstairs and go to bed?" Jed asked  
  
tenderly.  
  
"Sounds wonderful to me," Abbey agreed, as she got down off  
  
the table and started to collect their clothes.  
  
As Abbey bent over to pick up the clothes, Jed grabbed her  
  
from behind. "Abbey.what happened here?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean.what happened on your trip? You know, that made you  
  
come home like this."  
  
Abbey shrugged. "I don't know. I was puttering around our  
  
house, and I found myself looking at all the pictures around the  
  
house-on the walls, the mantle, the dressers. They're everywhere. I  
  
mean, they've always been there, but sometimes you notice them more  
  
than others. I saw us in those pictures and I saw what was so good  
  
about us. And, I remembered.it's not easy.never has been." She  
  
started to get dressed as she continued to talk. "I just decided  
  
that it's easier to live in anger or sadness, in the dark.but I  
  
didn't want that. I saw the light in our eyes, Jed. And, I missed  
  
that."  
  
"I never lost that light for you, Abbey. Not ever," Jed told  
  
his wife.  
  
"I know.nor I you.but it was dimmed," Abbey sat back down on  
  
the edge of the table. "I wanted that back.and I was willing to work  
  
for it. I wanted to show you how much I need you and want you."  
  
Jed smiled and took her hand. "You do look incredible. You  
  
always have, though. And, you're right. Marriage takes work. I  
  
guess we both forgot that. And, I'll work on it, too. I promise."  
  
Abbey smiled.  
  
"Shall we go for round two?" Jed asked with an evil grin.  
  
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "But, upstairs. I'm getting too old  
  
for this table business."  
  
"Your idea, luscious," Jed teased.  
  
"I know," Abbey sighed and smiled. It was then she realized  
  
that they had been left alone once again.  
  
As soon the President and First Lady showed signs of coming  
  
back to reality, Jim had slipped back outside the door. He took a  
  
handkerchief and wiped his brow. Yep, it was just like he thought it  
  
would be-except he never thought he'd actually see it.  
  
He heard the door before he saw it open and stood at  
  
attention.  
  
"Hey, Jim, nice to see you," the President said as he exited  
  
the room, his arm around his wife.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Thanks for keeping things safe out here for us," Jed  
  
continued with a smile.  
  
Jim nodded.  
  
"Shall we?" Jed asked his wife and motioned for her to go  
  
first. Abbey nodded in agreement and they headed up to the  
  
residence. Jim followed closely.  
  
Upon reaching the bedroom, Jed opened the door. "After you,  
  
dear."  
  
"Oh, could you give me just a moment. I need to take care of  
  
something. I'll be right in."  
  
Jed cocked a brow at her and smiled. "Sure. Don't be long,  
  
ok?"  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be right in," Abbey assured her husband  
  
and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Ok." He turned and faced the agent once more. "'Night,  
  
Jim."  
  
"Good Night, sir," Jim replied, as the President entered his  
  
bedroom and shut the door behind him.  
  
Abbey stood and looked at Jim in absolute silence.  
  
Jim stood motionless, not sure of what to do, say or even  
  
think.  
  
"I'd like to have a word with you, if you don't mind," she  
  
stated. Part Eleven "Of course not, Ma'am," Jim replied.  
  
"I'd like to speak to you alone," she continued, her eyes  
  
narrow and serious.  
  
"Certainly, hold on one second, I'll get someone to cover for  
  
me."  
  
"I'll wait for you in the study. Come in when you're ready."  
  
Jim nodded and watched the First Lady disappear into the  
  
study.  
  
"Shit," he muttered as he made the call for someone to take  
  
his place.  
Jed took a seat on the edge of the bed and picked up the  
  
phone. There was someone he had to speak with before the end of the  
  
evening.  
  
"Yeah," Leo answered curtly, his voice tired.  
  
"You're still in your office," Jed stated.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Go home," Jed ordered.  
  
"Well, I was sort of busy taking care of your personal life  
  
rather than getting any work done around here this evening."  
  
Jed smiled. "Yeah. So, listen, that's the reason why I'm  
  
calling you."  
  
Leo sat back in his chair behind his desk and closed his  
  
eyes. "Oh?"  
  
"I wanted to thank you."  
  
"It's nothing, sir." Leo really had no desire to be thanked  
  
for arranging the tryst between the President and the First lady.  
  
"No, I'm serious. I can't thank you enough. Tonight has  
  
been."  
  
Leo's eyes sprang open, fearful of what was bound to come out  
  
of the President's mouth next. "Sir, with all due respect, I really  
  
don't want the details."  
  
"All right," Jed replied. "I thought you could use some  
  
excitement in your life."  
  
"I'd love some," Leo agreed, "But, I'd prefer it be my own  
  
and not listening about yours and Abbey's sexcapades."  
  
Jed laughed out loud. "Agreed. So, go get your own woman,  
  
McGarry."  
  
"In five more years, Sir," Leo sighed.  
  
"Five years?" Jed asked, confused.  
  
"As soon as my commitment is done with you, Mr. President.  
  
Then, I can look for a woman. I may have some faults, but one thing  
  
I have always been in an exclusive kind of guy."  
  
Jed shook his head. "Oh no, you are not going to blame me  
  
because you don't have a girlfriend."  
  
Leo cleared his throat. "Who's blaming you?"  
  
"You are! You just said that you're committed to me: which,  
  
I'm very well aware of, by the way. However, the last time I  
  
checked, we weren't having sex."  
  
"There are some that may question that, Sir," Leo said, a  
  
grin forming on his face.  
  
"Oh God."  
  
"Anyway, I'm not blaming you, Mr. President," Leo  
  
proceeded, "It's all me. I can't do my job here and be the  
  
incredible lover and partner I'm notorious for being."  
  
Jed stopped for a moment. "You're playing with me now.."  
  
"Never, Sir."  
  
"What about Jordan?"  
  
"What about her?" Leo asked, knowing where this was going.  
  
Jed reclined back on the bed now. "She seemed like an  
  
excellent prospect. Smart, witty.and you know how I feel about  
  
redheads."  
  
"Not that this is any of your business, but we decided that,  
  
for now, it's better that we stay friends."  
  
"Well, not that it's any of your business, but you managed to  
  
get in the middle of my sex life," Jed challenged.  
  
"YOUR WIFE DRAGGED ME INTO THAT! Kicking and screaming, I'll  
  
have you know." Leo yelled.  
  
"Don't yell at me," Jed answered playfully. "I am the  
  
President, after all."  
  
"That's the reason why I don't kill you," Leo muttered.  
  
"Pardon me?"  
  
"Never mind."  
  
"So, you don't want any details of what happened?" Jed  
  
queried.  
  
"No!" Leo barked.  
  
"Too bad.your name happened to come up in conversation."  
  
Leo sat up in his chair now. "You know, sir, you and your  
  
wife are the only couple I know who use conversation as foreplay."  
  
"And here you call yourself an incredible lover." Jed chided.  
  
Leo sat in silence for a moment. "My name came up?"  
  
"Yes, it's just too bad you don't want the details..."  
  
"Right.Just tell me one thing, Sir."  
  
"O.k."  
  
"Am I ever going to be able to go into the Sit Room again and  
  
keep a straight face?"  
  
Jed smiled. "That's for you to determine, my friend. We left  
  
it the way we found it, if that's what you're asking."  
  
"Good." Leo stretched in his chair. "Hey, why are you  
  
talking to me now, anyway.where's Abbey?"  
  
"Oh, she had to talk to the agent on duty about something."  
  
"Jim? Why? Is there a problem?"  
  
"Don't think so. She didn't say. But, she should be back  
  
shortly. If she sees me on the phone with you tonight."  
  
"She'll kill you," Leo completed the thought.  
  
"Exactly. So, go home, Leo."  
  
"Yes, sir. I'd say have a good night, but I think that's a  
  
done deal already."  
  
"The night is young, Leo. The night is young."  
  
"Ugh.Good night, sir."  
  
"'Night, Leo," Jed concluded and hung up the phone. He  
  
looked around the bedroom, anxious for Abbey to return.  
When Bob had come to replace Jim at the doors of the First  
  
Couple's bedroom, he asked Jim what was up. Jim brushed him off and  
  
said he'd return shortly. He approached the door with a pounding  
  
heart and a racing mind.  
  
He didn't knock, though. He entered the room and found the  
  
First Lady standing there.  
  
"Good evening, Ma'am," Jim said politely, but cautiously.  
  
"Shut the door, please."  
  
Jim complied.  
  
"It has been a good evening, hasn't it.Jim.that is your name,  
  
isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
"It has been a good evening, hasn't it?"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," Jim replied honestly.  
  
Abbey approached him. "I have a few questions for you."  
  
Jim was sure his discomfort was obvious, but he did his best  
  
to mask it. "All right."  
  
She now stood right in front of him. The whole experience of  
  
her: her slightly disheveled appearance, the aroma of sex and  
  
perfume still barely lingering around her, the tiny beads of  
  
perspiration-it was almost too much for him to bear.  
  
She raised her hand, and Jim waited for the slap that he knew  
  
was coming to him. He closed his eyes in preparation for the blow.  
  
Instead, he felt her hand cup his chin firmly. His eyes  
  
popped open to find hers almost burning a hole through his brain.  
  
Her face was twisted into what looked like a combination of  
  
amusement and irritation-not exactly a smile, but not entirely a  
  
scowl either.  
  
Not letting go of him, she asked, "The first question I have is:  
  
Whatever shall I do with you now?" Part Twelve Normally, Jim was not a man who frightened easily. Hell, he  
  
was a Secret Service agent! However, he had never had to deal with  
  
Abigail Bartlet one on one. And, the fact that he was caught  
  
watching her and the President having sex contributed just slightly  
  
to the tension he was feeling.  
  
"I.I don't know, Mrs. Bartlet." Jim stammered.  
  
"Dr. Bartlet," she says, placing a distinctive emphasis on  
  
her title.  
  
"I don't know, Dr. Bartlet," he repeated.  
  
She leaned in even closer. "Do you get off on watching  
  
people have sex without their consent?"  
  
Jim made no reply.  
  
"I asked you a question," Abbey stated firmly.  
  
"With all due respect, Ma'am. I believe I did have your  
  
consent." Jim decided to be honest with her. At this point, he  
  
really had nothing to lose, he figured.  
  
Abbey didn't move. She just stared at the man. "Exactly how  
  
do you figure that?"  
  
Jim straightened his posture. "You saw me watching. You said  
  
nothing. You looked right at me. I think you knew exactly what you  
  
were doing." Any shred of apprehension was quickly fading away. He  
  
thought he was probably going insane, but what the hell.  
  
"And, again, with all due respect, Dr. Bartlet, you've been  
  
begging for attention all day," Jim continued.  
  
Abbey dropped her hand and folded her arms. "Oh, really?"  
  
"Yes, really. You walking around, dressed like that."  
  
"I beg your pardon," Abbey began.  
  
Jim pressed on, though "You knew I was watching you on the  
  
plane. The bending over.the rubbing of the leg."  
  
Abbey flushed slightly pink and her mouth curved into a  
  
slight smile.  
  
"I'm not the kind of guy that thinks a woman asks for  
  
unwanted attention by the way she dresses, but, I'm sorry, Ma'am, I  
  
am a man..and I notice things. And, you certainly dressed and  
  
behaved like you wanted to be noticed."  
  
"Is that so?" Abbey asked.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am. That is so," Jim stated emphatically.  
  
Abbey looked at Jim. "I don't need to explain myself to  
  
you. I brought you in here to explain yourself to me."  
  
"I admit, Ma'am, that I was entirely wrong to open the door  
  
and look.but, you were rather-noisy. Again, wanting attention, it  
  
seems. You knew I was out there."  
  
Jim stared at Abbey, noting that her arms were still crossed  
  
and now her foot was tapping furiously on the floor.  
  
"And, when you caught my glance, you said nothing," Jim  
  
pointed out.  
  
"You didn't leave." Abbey interrupted.  
  
"You practically told me to stay!"  
  
"I did no such thing!"  
  
"Your eyes, ma'am.speak volumes more than your lips. They  
  
never left mine."  
  
"You should have left," Abbey continued.  
  
"Yes," Jim replied simply.  
  
Abbey started to pace around the room. "I should have you  
  
fired."  
  
"Probably. I would totally understand if you did. But, if I  
  
may say so, I think that in the future, you should be more careful in  
  
the attention you seek. I'm not just talking as a man, but as your  
  
security agent."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. For your husband, it's one thing. Keep that in  
  
the bedroom,"  
  
Abbey started for the door. "All right, I'm not getting a  
  
lecture from you!" she said, raising her voice as she passed him.  
  
"You may get something you aren't expecting, that's all I'm  
  
saying, Dr. Bartlet," Jim replied, his tone now rising.  
  
"Like what?" she asked dismissively.  
  
Jim grabbed her by the shoulder, turned her around and kissed  
  
her squarely on the lips.  
  
That slap he expected earlier..came up along the side of his  
  
face hard and fast this time. Part Thirteen "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Abbey exclaimed.  
  
Jim took a step backward. He had done and said some stupid  
  
things in his life, but this one ranked as the dumbest-hands down.  
  
"Ma'am."  
  
"You're really batting a thousand tonight, aren't you?" Abbey  
  
continued.  
  
"I realize that my approach was all wrong."  
  
"You can say THAT again!"  
  
"However," Jim interrupted. "I was trying to make a point."  
  
"Which was?"  
  
"That was the kind of attention you were looking for, it  
  
seems, Mrs. Bartlet. You were lucky in my case; it was just a kiss.  
  
There are others out there who wouldn't settle for just that."  
  
"Oh, for God's sake, it's not like I was parading around in  
  
public like that," Abbey defended, her tone obviously irritated.  
  
"There are hundreds.thousands of civilians working in this  
  
building, Ma'am. This-display of yours-makes it very difficult for us  
  
to protect you."  
  
Abbey started to laugh sardonically.  
  
"You think this is funny, Mrs. Bartlet?"  
  
"No, not at all," she answered, turning around and now taking  
  
a seat in one of the chairs. "I take security very seriously. What  
  
I find amusing is how you are using something as serious as security  
  
to cover your own ass for your actions tonight."  
  
Jim didn't look at her now. She was, in part, correct.  
  
However, he was serious in what he said to her.  
  
"You were watching me on the plane.." Abbey tossed out  
  
casually.  
  
"Ma'am?" Jim replied awkwardly.  
  
"Through the curtains.you were watching me."  
  
"Yes, I was." Honesty was the best policy here.  
  
Abbey nodded. "Why?"  
  
Jim said nothing for a moment. "Truth?"  
  
"That's what I expect," Abbey stated.  
  
"Well, when you revealed yourself.I mean.when you took off  
  
your coat.you caught the attention of the entire plane, Ma'am-which I  
  
believe was your intention. It is not a newsflash to say that you  
  
are a very attractive woman. You just raised the curiosity factor  
  
tenfold."  
  
Abbey shifted in her seat slightly.  
  
"And, as I said before, I am a man.it was entirely  
  
unprofessional of me, and I apologize. It was just about impossible  
  
to not look, though. I know that there are many men in this building  
  
who would give their eyeteeth to leer at you, or even more. One of  
  
my jobs is to make sure that no one like that hurts you-for a moment,  
  
though, I was just a man, looking at a woman."  
  
Abbey looked up at him now, a genuine look of surprise in her  
  
eyes.  
  
"May I ask you a question, Ma'am?" Jim asked quietly.  
  
Abbey sighed. "Go ahead."  
  
"When you saw me watching tonight, why didn't you."  
  
"Why didn't I say anything? Do anything?" Abbey completed  
  
the question.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Truth?" Abbey said, echoing the agent's earlier word.  
  
"That's what I expect," Jim repeated.  
  
"I don't know. I really don't know. I guess I found it  
  
exciting in a way. I may be the First Lady, Jim.but I am also a  
  
woman. First and foremost, I am a woman."  
  
Abbey lowered her eyes. "I am ashamed and I am sorry."  
  
Jim was now the one looking at her with surprise. "You're  
  
sorry?"  
  
"You must think I'm.Well, I can't even imagine what you must  
  
think I am." Abbey said, almost in a whisper.  
  
Jim approached her now, and kneeled down in front of  
  
her. "Ma'am, at the risk of being fired."  
  
"Oh, hell, you haven't been fired, yet; maybe your lucky  
  
streak will continue.." Abbey jumped in.  
  
"At the risk of being fired, it doesn't shock me one bit that  
  
you are a passionate woman. You are passionate in your beliefs, your  
  
work, your family..Why shouldn't you be in all aspects of your life?"  
  
Abbey looked at him, her face uncertain.  
  
"And, I think you were looking to round out your life-beyond  
  
beliefs, work and family.You needed to find the light in your eyes  
  
again."  
  
"What did you just say?" Abbey asked incredulously.  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"Yes, I did," she sighed. "Well, I need to get back." She  
  
stood up and Jim took a step backward to give her ample space. She  
  
once again started for the door.  
  
"Well, Ma'am.I will talk to Ron and have him re-assign me."  
  
Abbey stopped at the door and turned around. "Re-assign?  
  
Why?"  
  
"I think it would be best, after all that's happened," Jim  
  
stated, now back in full professional demeanor.  
  
"No," Abbey told him. "That won't be necessary. You're a  
  
good agent, Jim."  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Bartlet. And, I sincerely apologize for the.  
  
you know."  
  
"Kiss?" Abbey finished, smiling now.  
  
"Yes, that." he responded uneasily.  
  
She walked up to him. "Are you one of those men, by the way?"  
  
"What men, Ma'am?"  
  
"The men you were talking about before.who want to leer at me  
  
or even more?"  
  
"Ma'am."  
  
"Look, Jim.once I leave this room, it's back to being First  
  
Lady."  
  
"You ARE the First Lady," Jim corrected.  
  
"Yes, but this conversation will never have happened,  
  
understand? Now, I'm not asking for inappropriate attention. I'm  
  
just a woman asking a man a simple question."  
  
"Simple for you, maybe," Jim groaned.  
  
"Are you?" she pressed.  
  
Jim took a deep breath. "Ok, here goes.Yes, I am, Mrs.  
  
Bartlet. It doesn't shock me one iota that you are a sexual woman.  
  
It doesn't shock me one bit that you are an assertive, even  
  
aggressive woman. And, I think your husband is one of the luckiest  
  
men in the world. And, that kiss, while sincerely meant to prove a  
  
point, was done for selfish reasons, too, I'm afraid. I had seen  
  
that in my mind for a long time." Jim was embarrassed now at the  
  
admission of thinking of the First Lady in such an inappropriate  
  
manner.  
  
"I see. Well, thank you so much for your honesty." Abbey  
  
paused. "And for your insight."  
  
Jim nodded. "You're welcome."  
  
Abbey hesitated once more and then leaned in to him. She  
  
softly took his lips onto hers for a fleeting moment. "I think that  
  
one was nicer than the first.don't you? The first one was kind of,  
  
forced. Good night."  
  
With that, she left and headed back into the Presidential  
  
bedroom. Jim exited the study shortly afterward and resumed his  
  
place outside the doors.  
  
"Jim, you all right?" the other agent asked.  
  
"Fine, just fine," he replied, his face stoic.  
  
"And the First Lady?"  
  
"She's fine. Thanks for covering for me. Good night," Jim  
  
told him, dismissing him for the evening.  
  
The other agent nodded and departed quickly. Once alone, Jim  
  
allowed the faintest smile to crack through.  
  
"Everything all right?" Jed asked as Abbey entered the room.  
  
"Fantastic," Abbey answered with a big grin. "In bed waiting  
  
for me?"  
  
"Hell, Abbey, yes. I almost started without you," Jed moaned.  
  
"Oooh, sounds good to me," Abbey cooed, taking off her  
  
clothes and then climbing into bed, pressing her naked body against  
  
her husband. She reached down and removed his boxer shorts and  
  
tossed them across the room. "You won't be needing these."  
  
Jed pulled Abbey into his arms. "Guess not.."  
  
"Are you up for round two?" Abbey questioned.  
  
Jed took Abbey's hand and moved it down to his hardening  
  
penis. "What do you think?"  
  
Abbey laughed out loud. "Oh yes.and so am I." Part Fourteen In a flash, Jed rolled on top of his wife and pinned her to  
  
the bed.  
  
"This time, we play my way," he informed her.  
  
Abbey simply smiled at him.  
  
He bent his head down and captured her lips on his. Her skin  
  
tasted faintly of salt and sweat-a subtle reminder of their earlier  
  
rendezvous in the Situation Room. His mind drifted quickly to wonder  
  
how he would react the next time he walked in that room. There would  
  
be Nancy or Fitz, sitting at the end of the table: precisely where  
  
Abbey sat when he entered. The table: where Abbey slinked her way  
  
across the room to him.  
  
"Hello? Jed? You with me?"  
  
Jed looked down at his wife. "Of course," he said,  
  
refocusing his attention to the tender flesh of the nape of her neck.  
  
"Mmm.." she purred, tracing her fingernails down his  
  
spine. "You looked like you were a million miles away."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes," she responded, tickling his sides gently. "What were  
  
you thinking of, anyway?"  
  
"You," Jed answered truthfully, jumping with Abbey's touch.  
  
"Bullshit," she laughed.  
  
"Seriously. I was thinking of you.on that table."  
  
"Ohhh," replied Abbey, innocently.  
  
"Don't play innocent with me, Miss Table Crawler. That's a  
  
pretty powerful image there, Lady."  
  
Abbey grinned and nodded her head. "I suppose."  
  
Abbey pushed her body upwards, straining against Jed's hold  
  
on her arms.  
  
"Uh-uh.no way," Jed groaned. "I want you looking at me.and  
  
only me, Abigail Bartlet."  
  
Abbey blushed slightly. "Jed, I thought we promised not to  
  
talk of that."  
  
Jed thrust himself inside of her now, causing Abbey to lose  
  
her breath for a moment.  
  
"You're lucky I don't kill the son of a bitch," he groaned as  
  
he slowly moved in and out of her.  
  
Abbey raised her hips, trying to find Jed's rhythm-but it was  
  
erratic. "I shouldn't have told you."  
  
"No.I'm glad you did." Jed said in a raspy voice. "So,  
  
exactly how long was he there, anyway?"  
  
"I.I don't know," Abbey stammered, her body reacting to Jed's  
  
movements more than to his words.  
  
"A few seconds? A minute?" Jed continued to question as he  
  
continued to slide up and down her body.  
  
"Maybe a few seconds," Abbey gasped. Well, she didn't know  
  
exactly how long Jim had been there. There was no need to get into  
  
the details.  
  
Jed studied her. Her eyes were closed and the sweat started  
  
to bead on her forehead. The mere fact that she told him about the  
  
agent was surprising to him. But, then again, this whole day was  
  
full of surprises, at least when it came to his wife. He reached his  
  
hand downward and insinuated it in between their tightly pressed  
  
bodies. When he found the right spot, he slowly moved his hand in  
  
slow circles.  
  
"Right there," Abbey panted.  
  
"I know," Jed groaned. He continued to hold her arms down on  
  
the bed. He knew in the back of his mind that if she really wanted  
  
to, she could break free. She was strong-and if strength wouldn't  
  
win her release, her wiles certainly would. Still, he liked (no  
  
loved) the fact that Abbey was always adventurous-and tonight was  
  
just one example of that.  
  
"I could kill him, you know. But, how could I blame a man  
  
for wanting to look at you?" Jed muttered, thrusting faster now.  
  
"Don't talk now," Abbey pleaded.  
  
Jed nodded.  
  
Their pace quickened and the only sounds in the room this  
  
time was their breathing. The intensity of their passion and love  
  
needed no vocalization, no utterances of pleasure.  
  
As Jed raced toward his release, he finally let go of Abbey's  
  
arms. Immediately, she threw her arms around her neck and pulled him  
  
down so she could kiss him.  
  
"Hold me, take me now," she whispered hotly on his lips as  
  
she started to come.  
  
Silently, they climaxed together as their bodies yearned to  
  
be as close together as humanly possible.  
  
When their breathing returned to normal, Jed pushed back a  
  
few strands of hair that were damp and lying on Abbey's cheek.  
  
"So, what did you say to him, anyway?"  
  
"Huh?" she asked dreamily.  
  
"What did you say to the agent when you spoke with him?" Jed  
  
inquired.  
  
Abbey smiled. "I gave him `what for'."  
  
Jed grinned. "Amazing. I didn't hear it."  
  
"Well, I didn't want to cause a scene," Abbey playfully  
  
defended.  
  
"You don't seem to mind causing a scene with me."  
  
"Of course not, darling. My causing a scene with you is  
  
expected around here. It's almost become routine, really."  
  
"True. True. Well, I hope you set him straight."  
  
"Of course I did. He was most embarrassed. He apologized  
  
profusely," Abbey hedged. "And.he set me straight on a few things."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. Thank you for letting me handle it, Sweet Knees."  
  
"You're welcome, Hot Pants. But, if I catch so much as a  
  
sideways glance at you by him."  
  
"Don't worry..he won't. And, I'll be more careful, too."  
  
Jed looked at her, his expression showing some confusion.  
  
"It's ok," she assured him, kissing his forehead. "Let's get  
  
some sleep. Tomorrow the insanity starts all over again."  
  
"All right," he sighed and draped his arm over Abbey as he  
  
lay behind her. "I love you, Abbey."  
  
"I love you, Jed."  
  
And, for a few more hours, they were simply that: Jed and  
  
Abbey.  
  
THE END 


End file.
